Did you know? The old Turf City grandstands were built for spectators, but nearby buildings tell a story about people who worked with horses every day. The former Bukit Timah Saddle Club clubhouse and Fairways Bungalow help preserve that quieter side of Singapore’s equestrian past.
Quick answer, checked 25 October 2026: URA’s conservation records identify the former Bukit Timah Saddle Club clubhouse at historic 51 Fairways Drive (listed in the live portal under 59A Fairways Drive) and the nearby Fairways Bungalow at 55 Fairways Drive as conserved heritage assets in the former Turf City area. The current official material discusses sensitive reuse, but does not confirm a new riding school, reopening of horse facilities or a 2027 public opening. Clubhouse record and bungalow record.
Two buildings near the former racecourse
The clubhouse and bungalow are close in location, but their historic roles are not identical. The clubhouse was connected to riding activities and the sporting community. The Fairways Bungalow was associated with facilities near the stables and the training of apprentice jockeys.
This matters because the story of horse racing cannot be understood solely from a finish line. Behind a race are riding skills, care for horses, stable operations, support staff and the spaces where people prepared to work.
A child looking at a racecourse plan might see one large track and ask why small buildings appear around its edges. Those buildings were the infrastructure of a sporting institution. Their positions help explain what needed to happen before any public event began.
The Saddle Club clubhouse: what did it look like?
URA describes the former two-storey Saddle Club clubhouse, at the eastern corner of the racecourse, as a 1960s building designed by Iversen van Sitteren & Partners. Its architecture includes an asymmetrical pitched roof, naturally ventilated veranda, painted brickwork and exposed concrete columns and beams. See the official architectural description.
The roof and ventilated spaces responded to Singapore’s tropical conditions. Openings and shaded verandas helped reduce the need for completely enclosed interiors in a period when many buildings depended heavily on passive cooling.
Those features are more than decoration. When a building is adapted for modern use, the shape and purpose of the original architecture can guide decisions about entrances, windows, circulation and protected surfaces.
The nearby Fairways Bungalow
At 55 Fairways Drive, URA records a two-storey Modern-style Fairways Bungalow, built during the 1960s–1970s. The bungalow’s position near stables and other facilities supported apprentice jockeys practising their skills efficiently. Read URA’s bungalow record.
A training-related building represents a different form of heritage from a grandstand. A spectator may have visited only on race days, but a learner or worker required regular practice and discipline. The surrounding facilities formed part of that training environment.
It is tempting to describe the bungalow as though it were a complete preserved riding-school museum. That would be incorrect. URA identifies the historic use and conservation significance; the source does not claim that public training exhibits or horseback riding sessions are operating there in 2026.
What changed when racing moved to Kranji?
Horse racing at Bukit Timah’s second racecourse began in 1933. The Singapore Turf Club shifted its racing activities to Kranji in 1999, and the old racecourse subsequently took on interim commercial and recreational uses under the familiar name Turf City.
Those changing uses kept parts of the site active, but the future estate represents a more substantial transition. Selected buildings have been identified for conservation and potential community-oriented functions, while surrounding land is prepared for homes and green spaces.
URA’s wider Bukit Timah Turf City masterplan places heritage alongside nature, walkable connections and amenities. It does not say all the old equestrian activities will return, and it does not provide a single reopening timetable for every conserved structure.
Why are these buildings conserved rather than replaced with replicas?
An authentic building carries clues about the materials, design decisions and working habits of its period. A model or reproduction can help tell a story but cannot fully replace the original architectural evidence.
The Saddle Club’s structural expression and veranda spaces show how modern materials and a tropical climate were considered together. The bungalow’s position in relation to former training facilities helps explain the daily geography of the racecourse.
Conservation gives future planners a chance to preserve those relationships. But adapting buildings for a new function requires safety, access and maintenance decisions that may differ greatly from their original operation.
Conservation permission is not a public opening notice
The URA portal says alterations must comply with conservation and specific restoration guidelines, with conservation permission before approved works and operation under a new use. See URA’s conservation area guidance.
That is an important boundary for readers. A designation as a conserved building is a legal and planning status. It does not automatically make the site a public attraction or give visitors access through temporary fencing.
Future amenities could conceivably connect these buildings to learning, recreation or community life if approved, but no specific 2027 operator, opening programme or commercial use should be presented as a fact before an agency or owner confirms it.
A simple timeline: 1933 to 2027
- 1933: the Bukit Timah racecourse opens and begins a long era of equestrian and spectator activity.
- 1960s: the Saddle Club clubhouse is completed, expressing modern tropical architectural ideas.
- 1960s–1970s: the nearby Fairways Bungalow is built, linked to apprentice-jockey training activity.
- 1999: horse racing shifts to Kranji, changing the use of the former racecourse.
- 2023: interim commercial and recreational leases at Turf City conclude as redevelopment preparations advance.
- 2025–2026: URA’s conservation listings identify the selected clubhouse and bungalow among the former racecourse heritage assets.
- 2027: watch for specific approved reuse schemes and access changes; no blanket ‘riding club reopening’ target is established.
- Longer term: the selected heritage buildings are to be integrated into a new residential environment over successive development stages.
How might families learn from equestrian heritage?
A useful history lesson might ask how work around a horse race was divided. The rider is highly visible, but stable workers, trainers, grounds staff and event organisers all contributed. Students can map the different spaces each role needed.
An architecture lesson could compare a 1960s pitched roof and veranda with a completely sealed contemporary office. What design choices helped with shade and ventilation? How might those choices change when the building is reused?
A civic-planning lesson might ask why a future neighbourhood should retain an old building at all. A historical structure may support a sense of identity, but it also creates obligations: maintenance, accessibility, long-term cost and sensitivity to surrounding homes.
What should a 2027 update answer?
- Which building? Distinguish the Saddle Club clubhouse from the separate Fairways Bungalow and other management residences.
- What has been approved? Identify an actual conservation and new-use permission rather than an illustrative concept.
- Who will run it? Name an operator only when an authoritative announcement confirms it.
- When will it open? Use a dated handover or visitor announcement rather than assuming 2027 because the estate appears in a masterplan.
- What can visitors see? Identify public entrances, paths and any areas still closed for works.
- What remains authentic? Explain which features are being conserved and how they help tell the site’s story.
How this connects with the Fairways workers’ quarters
There were many communities at the old racecourse. Managers had their residences, jockeys trained near the stables, and general labourers lived in rows of quarters around shared facilities.
The Fairways Quarters are discussed separately because their courtyard, shop, school and community centre reveal a workers’ residential settlement rather than the story of riding and training. Both types of heritage matter, but each deserves precise treatment.
For the wider picture, see the Turf City Grandstands and Heritage article. The grandstands, worker quarters and equestrian buildings should not be treated as interchangeable examples of conservation.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the old Bukit Timah Saddle Club clubhouse?
URA describes the historic clubhouse at 51 Fairways Drive, in the eastern corner of the former racecourse. The current conservation portal uses the listing address 59A Fairways Drive.
Is the Fairways Bungalow the same building?
No. Fairways Bungalow is a separate conserved building at 55 Fairways Drive, associated with apprentice jockey training.
Who designed the clubhouse?
URA credits Iversen van Sitteren & Partners, and dates the clubhouse to the 1960s.
Are horse-riding lessons reopening there in 2027?
No verified 2027 lesson programme or riding-school operator is identified in the current conservation records.
Are the buildings conserved?
Yes. URA’s live building-specific portals label both as conserved buildings within the former Turf City conservation setting.
Can the public enter them today?
Do not assume so. Conservation is not a visitor ticket; use only lawful current access and follow worksite restrictions.
Official references and related reading
URA: Bukit Timah Saddle Club clubhouse · URA: Fairways Bungalow · URA: management bungalows, a distinct heritage category · URA: conservation area and permission guidance · eduKateSG: Turf City Grandstands and Heritage.
Last fact-checked: 25 October 2026. Historic functions and conservation status are verified; future tenants, programmes and opening dates remain unconfirmed.
More in the Future of Bukit Timah series: Fairways Quarters and the workers’ courtyard · Future schools, childcare and healthcare · 2027 underground flood-resilience study. Related earlier coverage: Turf City housing timeline · Grandstands and conservation.